1,527 research outputs found
Reflection-Free One-Way Edge Modes in a Gyromagnetic Photonic Crystal
We point out that electromagnetic one-way edge modes analogous to quantum
Hall edge states, originally predicted by Raghu and Haldane in 2D gyroelectric
photonic crystals possessing Dirac point-derived bandgaps, can appear in more
general settings. In particular, we show that the TM modes in a gyromagnetic
photonic crystal can be formally mapped to electronic wavefunctions in a
periodic electromagnetic field, so that the only requirement for the existence
of one-way edge modes is that the Chern number for all bands below a gap is
non-zero. In a square-lattice gyromagnetic Yttrium-Iron-Garnet photonic crystal
operating at microwave frequencies, which lacks Dirac points, time-reversal
breaking is strong enough that the effect should be easily observable. For
realistic material parameters, the edge modes occupy a 10% band gap. Numerical
simulations of a one-way waveguide incorporating this crystal show 100%
transmission across strong defects, such as perfect conductors several lattice
constants wide, larger than the width of the waveguide.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (Figs. 1 and 2 revised.
Gigantic Enhancement of Magneto-Chiral Effect in Photonic Crystals
We theoretically propose a method to enhance dramatically a
magneto-chiral(MC) effect by using the photonic crystals composed of a
multiferroic material. The MC effect, the directional birefringence even for
unpolarized light, is so small that it has been difficult to observe
experimentally. Two kinds of periodic structures are investigated; (a) a
multilayer and (b) a stripe composed of a magneto-chiral material and air. In
both cases, the difference in reflectivity between different magnetization
directions is enhanced by a factor of hundreds compared with a bulk material.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
Delay-bandwidth and delay-loss limitations for cloaking of large objects
Based on a simple model of ground-plane cloaking, we argue that the diffculty
of cloaking is fundamentally limited by delay-loss and delaylbandwidth/size
limitations that worsen as the size of the object to be cloaked increases
relative to the wavelength. These considerations must be taken into account
when scaling experimental cloaking demonstrations from wavelength-scale objects
towards larger sizes, and suggest quantitative material/loss challenges in
cloaking human-scale objects.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Antisymmetric PT-photonic structures with balanced positive and negative index materials
We propose a new class of synthetic optical materials in which the refractive
index satisfies n(-\bx)=-n^*(\bx). We term such systems antisymmetric
parity-time (APT) structures. Unlike PT-symmetric systems which require
balanced gain and loss, i.e. n(-\bx)=n^*(\bx), APT systems consist of
balanced positive and negative index materials. Despite the seemingly
PT-symmetric optical potential V(\bx)\equiv n(\bx)^2\omega^2/c^2, APT systems
are not invariant under combined PT operations due to the discontinuity of the
spatial derivative of the wavefunction. We show that APT systems can display
intriguing properties such as spontaneous phase transition of the scattering
matrix, bidirectional invisibility, and a continuous lasing spectrum.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Semiconductor Surface Studies
Contains research summary and reports on three research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-83-K-0003
Weyl points and line nodes in gapless gyroid photonic crystals
Weyl points and line nodes are three-dimensional linear point- and
line-degeneracies between two bands. In contrast to Dirac points, which are
their two-dimensional analogues, Weyl points are stable in the momentum space
and the associated surface states are predicted to be topologically
non-trivial. However, Weyl points are yet to be discovered in nature. Here, we
report photonic crystals, based on the double-gyroid structures, exhibiting
frequency-isolated Weyl points with intricate phase diagrams. The surface
states associated with the non-zero Chern numbers are demonstrated. Line nodes
are also found in similar geometries; the associated surface states are shown
to be flat bands. Our results are readily experimentally realizable at both
microwave and optical frequencies.Comment: 6 figures and 8 pages including the supplementary informatio
Non-Abelian Generalizations of the Hofstadter model: Spin-orbit-coupled Butterfly Pairs
The Hofstadter model, well-known for its fractal butterfly spectrum,
describes two-dimensional electrons under a perpendicular magnetic field, which
gives rise to the integer quantum hall effect. Inspired by the real-space
building blocks of non-Abelian gauge fields from a recent experiment [Science,
365, 1021 (2019)], we introduce and theoretically study two non-Abelian
generalizations of the Hofstadter model. Each model describes two pairs of
Hofstadter butterflies that are spin-orbit coupled. In contrast to the original
Hofstadter model that can be equivalently studied in the Landau and symmetric
gauges, the corresponding non-Abelian generalizations exhibit distinct spectra
due to the non-commutativity of the gauge fields. We derive the genuine
(necessary and sufficient) non-Abelian condition for the two models from the
commutativity of their arbitrary loop operators. At zero energy, the models are
gapless and host Weyl and Dirac points protected by internal and crystalline
symmetries. Double (8-fold), triple (12-fold), and quadrupole (16-fold) Dirac
points also emerge, especially under equal hopping phases of the non-Abelian
potentials. At other fillings, the gapped phases of the models give rise to
topological insulators. We conclude by discussing possible
schemes for the experimental realizations of the models in photonic platforms
Surface-mode microcavity
Optical microcavities based on zero-group-velocity surface modes in photonic
crystal slabs are studied. It is shown that high quality factors can be easily
obtained for such microcavities in photonic crystal slabs. With increasing of
the cavity length, the quality factor is gradually enhanced and the resonant
frequency converges to that of the zero-group-velocity surface mode in the
photonic crystal. The number of the resonant modes with high quality factors is
mainly determined by the number of surface modes with zero-group velocity.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Frequency-selective near-field enhancement of radiative heat transfer via photonic-crystal slabs: a general computational approach for arbitrary geometries and materials
We demonstrate the possibility of achieving enhanced frequency-selective
near-field radiative heat transfer between patterned (photonic crystal) slabs
at designable frequencies and separations, exploiting a general numerical
approach for computing heat transfer in arbitrary geometries and materials
based on the finite-difference time-domain method. Our simulations reveal a
tradeoff between selectivity and near-field enhancement as the slab--slab
separation decreases, with the patterned heat transfer eventually reducing to
the unpatterned result multiplied by a fill factor (described by a standard
proximity approximation). We also find that heat transfer can be further
enhanced at selective frequencies when the slabs are brought into a
glide-symmetric configuration, a consequence of the degeneracies associated
with the non-symmorphic symmetry group
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